Refrigerators are well known in the art. Many commercial examples exist in the marketplace ranging from refrigerator-freezer combinations that are typically utilized in a household to walk-in designs that are utilized in restaurants and the like. Cold storage of food is required to maintain freshness and prolong the quality of food during storage thereof. There are numerous different models available to the general consumer with each model having various features addressed at providing convenience.
One problem with conventional household refrigerator-freezer combinations is the door. Current technology for all existing refrigerators have an access door that is a conventional hinge mounted door that is operable to either swing open left or right. This conventional configuration causes problems in small kitchens where there is a lack of space for the conventional style door to swing open. Additionally, most kitchen cabinets adjacent to a refrigerator-freezer are designed to specifically accommodate the conventional swinging door of an existing refrigerator-freezer.
Another issue with existing refrigerator-freezer units is the lack of ergonomic access to certain compartments. Over the last several years, conventional refrigerator-freezer units have begun to include the freezer compartment as a bottom unit. This places the freezer compartment at a very low level and has made access thereto by individuals with ailments such as but not limited too bad backs very difficult.
Accordingly, there is a need for a refrigerator-freezer unit that includes a roll-style door providing improved access to the refrigerator compartment and further includes a freezer compartment that is operable to extend outward and upward from the unit housing so as to provide improved access thereto.